1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a backplane connector that has a desirable low tolerance and is structurally strong and durable for repetitious engagements with and disengagements from corresponding computer accessory cards such as graphic cards, redundant array of independent disks (RAID) cards or memory modules.
2. Description of Related Art
Servers such as blade servers and rack mount servers have a printed circuit board (PCB) mounted with backplane connectors for high speed and stable signal transmission thus to avoid using cable connectors that have deformation, disorder and durable problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,319 discloses a backplane connector on a PCB and having a housing and multiple disk shaped contact modules. The housing has an insertion slot and multiple spaces. The insertion slot may receive an accessory card. The contact modules are mounted respectively in the spaces and are arranged abreast in a row. Each contact module has an insulating member and a pair of electrical contacts. The electrical contacts may be a differential signaling pair, is mounted on the insulating member by inserting molding processes and provides electrical connection.
However, the backplane connector with the abreast-abutted contact modules has following disadvantages.
1. Each contact module has its individual tolerance. When all the contact modules are arranged abreast together, a total tolerance thereof always exceeds the reasonable expectation, which causes fabrication failure of the backplane connector and the deformation, loose and disassembly of the contact modules. Therefore, the durability and production rate of the backplane connector are decreased.
2. The abreast abutted contact modules do not have firmly fastening elements to fasten each other so that a whole structure thereof is weak and not durable. After suffering repeatedly engagement with and disengagement from corresponding accessory cards, the contact modules easily loosen, fall off and break and thus lower the stability of the signal transmission, cause the server to crash and even result in huge business loss.
3. The housing is hollow and implemented without any crossbeam structures so is structurally weak and cannot protect the contact modules therein, which further makes the signal transmission of the backplane connector unstable.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a backplane connector with one-piece insulative bases to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.